Chapter 4

That night, Joel had a bit to drink. She curled up on the couch, her body folded in on itself as a dull pain began to throb in her stomach. In the early years of filming, she had pushed herself relentlessly. William had belittled her passions, so she worked tirelessly to prove him wrong. Chris, while constantly scolding her, never left her side, urging her to take medicine and see a doctor. Daniel had even reached out to his expert friends to help her regain her health. Her stomach issues had been dormant for a long time, but tonight, out of nowhere, the pain came back. Downstairs, the loudspeakers blared, and it sounded like someone was singing and cheering. Half-conscious, Joel opened her eyes and saw a message from Rosanne on her phone. It was a series of photos. In them, Rosanne wore a long red dress and stood amidst a sea of fresh, delicate roses, her eyes glistening with joyful tears. Beside her, Chris held a cake, his expression full of satisfaction. Daniel stood nearby, holding a trophy with a gentle smile on his face. They were celebrating Rosanne’s victory. The pain in Joel's stomach flared up even more as she scrolled through the messages, her face pale. Rosanne’s tone was intimate, as if there had never been any tension between them: "Joel, come downstairs and have some cake with us?" Joel forced herself to reply: "No, I need to rest." As her phone slipped from her hand, there was a knock at the door. When she didn’t answer, whoever was outside used a key to unlock it and walked straight in. It was Chris and Daniel. Only they had a key to her apartment. Chris stormed in and immediately lashed out at her. “Joel, do you have to be so petty? Rosanne’s in tears because of you!” Even Daniel, usually the calm one, couldn’t hold back this time. He frowned deeply and said, “Joel, you weren’t this small-minded before…” Joel was trembling from the pain, unable to muster a response. Neither of them noticed anything was wrong. Chris even reached out to grab her arm. “You can’t keep being so stubborn! This time, you’re going to apologize to Rosanne!” The pull sent Joel tumbling off the couch. She hit the floor hard, her knee banging against the edge of the table, leaving a deep purple bruise. Gasping for breath, she forced a word out from her chest: “Hurts…” “Joel, what’s wrong?” Daniel noticed how pale she looked and bent down to help her up, his face full of concern. “Is this… a stomach ulcer flare-up?” Chris froze, stepping back with regret flickering across his face, though his tone still carried blame. “Why didn’t you say you were in pain? How did this suddenly happen again?” Joel, clutching her stomach, had no energy to argue. “Can you… call someone? I need to go to the hospital…” Chris and Daniel had been by her side for seven years and knew just how severe her condition could get. They had spent countless efforts helping her recover, yet tonight, they hadn’t even realized she was unwell. Panicked, they quickly called for an ambulance and tried to help her downstairs. But before they could move her, Rosanne called. Her voice was frantic. “Chris, Daniel, there’s someone outside my door… I think it might be a fan. What do I do? I’m so scared!” Chris and Daniel instantly tensed. “Joel, wait here for the ambulance. I’ll go check,” Chris said, his face dark with worry as he rushed out. Daniel hesitated, his expression conflicted. After a moment, he stood and said gently, “Rosanne might be in danger. I need to go to her. Don’t move, we’ll be right back.” But even as the sound of the ambulance siren neared, neither of them returned. As Joel was lifted onto the stretcher, her phone lit up. The screen displayed the time: midnight. A message from William, who never showed her much kindness, appeared: “Happy Birthday.” Joel was slow to realize it was her birthday. This time last year, Chris and Daniel had thrown her a grand celebration. “Make a wish!” they had said. “Wish for many more days like this, year after year!”